Engineering student Isha Kulkarni wins place at One Young World Summit

21 September 2018

Isha's international volunteering efforts have won her a place at the event in the Netherlands from 17-20 October

Isha Kulkarni, a third year MEng student at UCL’s Department of Civil, Environmental & Geomatic Engineering, has been announced as the winner of a competition for a place at next month’s One Young World Summit.

UCL students were invited to submit an application detailing how they have effected positive change internationally, along with a proposal for how they would share their experience at the summit - both during and after the event.

Fundraising efforts

Isha stood out in a competitive field thanks to experiences such as her contribution to the Raah Foundation, a local NGO in Mumbai, where she assisted with activities including organising health camps, raising funds and aiding engineers in designing dams and wells across the impoverished region.

The judges were also impressed by her work for Engineers Without Borders (EWB) at UCL, which involved marketing, budgeting and connecting students with international development opportunities. In addition, Isha was involved in Bridges to Prosperity, a project that saw UCL engineering students construct a footbridge to provide isolated communities with access across an impassable river.

Sustainable Development Goals

Following the announcement, Isha said: “I applied to the competition due to the opportunity it offered for me to meet like-minded individuals on a global scale, and to represent UCL at such an international level.”

“As someone who is highly passionate about global cooperation, the Sustainable Development Goals are close to my heart. I’m incredibly excited to deliberate upon them at the One Young World summit, and learn more about how the world’s youth is contributing to their fulfilment.”

Global talent

Each year, the summit, organised by the One Young World charity, gathers young talent from global companies, NGOs, universities and other forward-thinking organisations together with a host of recognised worldwide ‘leaders’, who act as One Young World counsellors. Former leaders include Kofi Annan, Emma Watson, Bill Clinton and Bob Geldof.

At the event, participants debate, formulate and share innovative solutions to help achieve the Sustainable Development Goals, a collection of 17 global goals set by the United Nations Development Programme.